Former Drug Addicts Seek Sobriety from Marathoning

Italian coach Dr. Gabriele Rosa has worked with some of the biggest names in the sport, from former world marathon record holder Paul Tergat to New York City Marathon course record holder Margaret Okayo to the late Olympic Marathon champion Sammy Wanjiru. For Sunday's New York City Marathon, Rosa has taken another group of runners under his wing—nine men and women from San Patrignano, one of the largest drug rehabilitation centers in Europe.

This is the second year that the center’s Beyond the Finish Line program will send a group to the marathon; last year, seven runners and four staff members made the trip. “We chose the New York City Marathon because we want to say to the world that everyone can succeed in running a marathon and everyone can succeed in stopping using drugs,” says Antonio Boschini, one of San Patrignano’s doctors.

The facility, which is free of charge and doesn’t request contributions from the state, is currently home to more than 1,300 men and women. Boschini says that, on any given afternoon around 5 p.m., more than 500 of them will convene outside for some kind of workout on the center’s rolling grounds outside the city of Rimini in northeast Italy. Of those, about 75 are training for a marathon.

“We use the same kind of training that I use for my top athletes, except with different distances and different paces,” says Rosa. “They don’t train twice a day, but they train three to four times a week.” He cites sample workouts: long runs of up to 18 miles, fartleks consisting of alternating one minute hard and one minute easy, and interval workouts of six 1-kilometer or 2-kilometer repeats. Rosa says he errors on the side of caution in terms of workload because, for most, this is their first foray into running. “I wanted them to enjoy it,” he explains.

In 2013, San Patrignano’s top New York City finisher was then 44-year-old Loris Reginato in 3:01:13. Andrea Grossi was the group’s top woman in 3:11:56. Boschini, a one-time heroin addict in the 1970s before he turned his life around and became a doctor, ran 3:44:04.

“They destroyed their minds and bodies, everything, so now they train their bodies and minds back,” says Rosa, who got involved on the recommendation of his friend, Letizia Moratti, the former mayor of Milan.

“The marathon is only the tip of the iceberg,” Boschini says of the sport’s importance at San Patrignano. “Running helps reduce anxiety, increase self-esteem and gives a psychological release, which is very important in the early stages of the three- to four-year program.”

Only those without criminal justice issues are eligible to be one of San Patrignano’s representatives at a marathon. A contingent of 12 completed the Venice Marathon in late October; another group will compete in the 2015 London Marathon.

Those participating in New York will all be first-timers, as part of the center’s mission to allow everyone the chance to participate in one.

“The marathon, in my opinion, is similar to overcoming addiction,” says Boschini. “When I ran the marathon, my mind was in two parts: one part said I should stop because it is very, very difficult. The other part of my mind was looking for reasons to go ahead.”

San Patrignano’s runners do the bulk of their training within the center’s property boundaries. On the weekends, they will get out for group runs of 20 to 30 kilometers with their San Patrignano mentors.

Marina Pantaleewa had never run before she entered San Patrignano four years ago at the age of 28. Her family had moved around a lot when she was a teenager, and she turned to pot, then heroin, to help ease the adolescent pressures of trying to fit in. A car wreck eventually landed her in the hospital, and, upon release, she checked in to San Patrignano.

She began running to burn off the stress, and that led to an unexpected connection with another female enrollee.

“We were the only two girls on the marathon team,” Pantaleewa recalls. “I always thought that running was an individual sport, but that is not the case because we made sure that both of us would get there together.” They trained four times a week, logging 36 miles per week on average. Soon, they began meeting at 5:00 a.m., rather than 5 p.m. “I liked being the first one out,” says Pantaleewa.

Though Pantaleewa will make her marathon debut as part of San Patrignano’s team, she recently successfully finished her program and has enrolled at a local university. She has a goal of 3:30 in New York.

“Running has become a metaphor in my life, says Pantaleewa. ”You fight against your demons and don’t give up.”

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